Maxine Kupperman-Guiñals has lived at 215 West 92nd St. for nearly 50 years.
She remembers first seeing her two-bedroom apartment in 1974 in the building called The Clayton.
“We said how much is it, and they said $400 a month. We were New York City public school teachers, and we had allotted $365, but we said, 'This is really a nice apartment. We can do this,'” said Guiñals, who has lived in The Clayton for nearly half the life of the building.
What You Need To Know
- The Clayton is a century-old building at 215 West 92nd St. on the Upper West Side
- The 15-story building was the first solo commission for renowned architect Rosario Candela
- It was built in 1922, and was the tallest residential building on the Upper West Side at the time
- Candela went on to design more elaborate apartment buildings on Park and Fifth avenues and Sutton Place in Manhattan
The 15-story building was constructed at West 92nd Street and Broadway in 1922.
It was the first solo commission for Italian-born Architect Rosario Candela, who would go on to design a myriad of other elaborate apartment buildings around town.
“It demonstrates his philosophy of apartment living and providing a home for people, so that he designed the layout of the apartments so you feel like you are in a home,” said Harriet Greisser, a longtime resident who is secretary of the building’s co-op board.
It all starts in the lobby with the marble floors. There are fireproof metal apartment doors in the building which were hand painted to look like wood. Inside the dwellings, spacious foyers, and the apartments have a door that leads to fire stairs.
Plus, most have two other ways in and out, a service door and a front door.
“They’re right next to each other so it’s kind of hilarious, and it’s only a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment,” said resident Laura Schooler, who said she does take advantage of the service door when taking garbage and recyclables out from the kitchen and when bringing groceries in.
Residents at The Clayton, which has 150 units, are celebrating the building’s birthday a year later because of the pandemic. They are paying tribute to Candela’s design.
Kupperman-Guiñals says after nearly a half-century of living in the building, she couldn’t see herself living anywhere else ever.
“No I don’t, my landlord will get rid of me feet first, and that’s how it will be, no I don’t see myself living anywhere else,” said Kupperman-Guiñals.
You would imagine Rosario Candela would be thrilled to hear that.